YES ON THE MALLARD
The Mallard are Castleface Records’ latest darlings, and for good reason - if Matt Jones of Blasted Canyons and John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees are taking out the time to put out their record, then your ass better have the time to sit down and listen.
If it’s any incentive, today we’re giving away Yes On Blood, the band’s debut album. If you want it, explore The Mallard’s Soundcloud and comment on this post with your favorite track by them.
The winner of yesterday’s giveaway is Kyle Scudder. Send your address to sonam@getbent.fm so we can send out your steeze!
Review: Thee Oh Sees/Total Control - Split 12”
By Becca Capers
What happens when Thee Oh Sees (from San Francisco) and Total Control (from Western Eastern Australia) wade across the Pacific to “duke it out” musically? Some dystopian shit goes down, I suppose. Their split 12” may as well have been a collaboration, or at least a conversation, between like guitar sounds. The disparate vocal aesthetics create the crucial, if superficial, grounds of their debate.
The juxtaposition of their sounds is nearly seamless. From “Blood in Your Ear”, the last song on Thee Oh Sees’ side, to “Nervous Harvest”, the first on Total Control’s, a divide is crossed that is akin to the divide between contrary brothers. They could be painted with the same brush in terms of the genre, but not necessarily in terms of the trains of thought they subscribe to. “Blood in Your Ear” is ripe with chiding yips and almost tuneless staccato strumming. It participates in and concludes a series of songs which makes light of all that is somber and sullen (the series starts with “Dead Energy”, which is a lyrical parody of Oasis’s overplayed hit, “Wonderwall”). “Nervous Harvest”, on the other hand, is a perfect ballad. Mikey Young has a clear and sincere baritone. He all-but-whines around guitar and bass lines that form rows like a corn field: simple and faded.
Apart from the immediately obvious appropriateness of this split, each side stands well to critique by itself. I’ll proudly continue to trace Dwyer and Young’s strange, social poetry as I hope they continue to deftly tread the boundary between pop and goth.
Get it at Castle Face Records.
Review: Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream
Thee Oh Sees, who need no introduction around these parts, are back with their second record of the year. On Carrion Crawler/The Dream, which is essentially two EPs coupled into one cohesive release, John Dwyer and co. carry their usual quirks into a dizzying, psychedelic atmosphere. Instead of the relatively short songs that made up the goofier and more vocally oriented Castlemania, this record offers several longer, denser tracks and the results are much more instrumentally focused. The band really jam on tracks like “Contraption/Soul Desert” and “Chem-Farmer”, the latter of which contains what is perhaps the band’s most driving drum rhythm to date. “The Dream” reaches nearly seven minutes of garage/psych face-melting, with a hypnotic, NEU!-like groove at its core. Highlighting what they excel at, they manage to sound equally stoned and infectious on tracks like “Opposition” and “Crushed Grass”, both of which are propelled by tasty basslines.
In around a decade, the band already have quite the prolific discography—averaging better than the Fall so far?—and Carrion Crawler/The Dream is definitely one of their most engaging works. Order it at In the Red and turn it up.
Track: Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler
By Sonam Parikh
“Carrion Crawler” from Carrion Crawler/The Dream by Thee Oh Sees is finally available for a listen. I’ve been antsy to hear it since I learned that it was recorded at the same time as Castlemania — I’ve found myself constantly wondering what anything made alongside his crusty warble could conceivably be. Well, here it is: something so unlike their last release yet easily reminiscent of the distinct Oh Sees sound. The new album will be released on November 15th via In The Red, and I for one am quite excited.
Track: Sic Alps - Breadhead
If you thought the 22 track LP Napa Asylum was the only thing San Francisco’s Sic Alps were releasing this year, then get ready to be left in the dust. “Breadhead” is the title track of Sic Alps’ latest Drag City released EP, which features guest appearances from some of The Bay Area’s finest: John Dwyer, Ty Segall and Matthew Melton. The EP contains 2 more original tracks plus a Bob Marley cover. If you haven’t been left in the dust yet, Sic Alps also have another 7” slated for a September release entitled Battery Townsley, which will also be released via Drag City. Catch your breath and trip out to “Breadhead” below.
You can snag a copy of the Breadhead EP here and pre-order a copy of Battery Townsley here.
Fall Tour Dates/LP Release for Thee Oh Sees
By Sonam Parikh
San Francisco’s reigning psych-rock king is at it again. Thee Oh Sees’ will be releasing their second LP of the year on In The Red, called Carrion Crawler/The Dream. Though its release date is set for November 15th, it was recorded in the same month as Castlemania. As if news of a second release wasn’t fantastic enough, Thee Oh Sees’ will also be playing a series of North American dates into next year, their last announced date being Bruise Cruise.
The album artwork is featured above, and tour dates await you after the cut.
Review: Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin
The first solo release from the Moonhearts’ Mikal Cronin may begin with some gorgeous, sublime harmonizing, but it isn’t a lightweight solo project by any means. It may be more low-key than the Moonhearts’ surf-trash-punk aesthetic and more introspective than his noisy collaborations with Ty Segall, but Cronin can hold his own by effortlessly cranking out garage pop gems. Try the catchy lead single “Apathy” on for size. His debut introduces us to a deeper, more melodic sensibility than what we may be used to hearing, but we’ve had several hints that this was in him all along and, therefore, nothing really comes as unexpected. The first few songs are mostly more hard-hitting (the psych freakout in “Is It Alright” and the fuzzy rocker “Green and Blue”), but Cronin cools it down with some perfectly mellow material, like “Get Along”, “Situation”, the sad “Slow Down”, and the nostalgically sweet “Hold on Me”. The album’s last track (“The Way Things Go”) is a matter-of-fact piano-driven pop song that reminds us not to take things too seriously as it falls to shambles and elicits a chuckle from Cronin by its end.
With Ty Segall lending a helping hand, the album features notable guest performances from artists like Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer, which is sure to delight almost any fan of current-day garage rock.
The album will be available September 20th on Trouble in Mind.
Mikal Cronin Announces Self-Titled Album and Tour Dates
September 20th brings what is already a highly anticipated new Mikal Cronin LP. The reason I say ”highly anticipated” is because it could not possibly end up being anything but great, considering he enlists help from Ty Segall, Eric Bauer, and John Dwyer to deliver psyched, melodic jams that are sure to be on a whole new level. Pick up the record when it is released on Trouble In Mind, and check out Mikal on tour with Ty Segall throughout the next couple of months. Peek at the dates below:
Video: Burglar Fucker
Noise lovers rejoice: Burglar Fucker has put out a video promoting their debut release The Demonweb EP, which we reviewed here. The new band from Anthony Petrovic (the other drummer in the Drums, with John Dwyer), Burglar Fucker creates grimy soundscapes overlaid with enough distortion to make your ears bleed. The vid, replete with quick cuts and swirling effects, was filmed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. If you like what you see, head over to Burglar Fucker’s bandcamp to download The Demonweb EP in its entirety.
